Operation Shanti

Why... ?

2012-01-09T13:20:00.001+05:30

We see behavioral issues with our kids often, many who spent their infant years on the streets; here's an interesting article.

A Poverty Solution That Starts With a Hug

So, if you're in Mysore and want to share some hugs with our kids, or if you can read in Kannada and want to read stories to our kids in your free time -- give us a shout!

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/kristof-a-poverty-solution-that-starts-with-a-hug.html?_r=1&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=SR-E-FB-SM-LIN-PST-010812-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click

Christmas at KM 2011

2011-12-27T08:46:00.000+05:30

Christmas at KM this year was about the room decoration competition. The boys and girls each decorated their rooms for the holiday. The winners? The boys! The prize? Huuuuuge amounts of snacks and sweets.

Boys room -- lots of dancing and singing to Christmas carols!

The boys had a manger in their room. Left, Jyothi (tutor), Pavan (as a mini-Santa), Meharbanu (boys' house mother), and Anuradha Aunty.

Nice Christmas art by Pooja.

In the girls' room; judge for the competition, Ganesh, sitting in the chair.

Sulochanna, girls' house mother, passing out Christmas gifts to the girls.

Thanks to Kavitha!

2011-12-27T07:51:00.000+05:30

Many thanks to Kavitha Mhatre and her fundraising efforts in December. She ran the Goa half-marathon in December and found generous sponsors for her run, raising Rs. 80,000 for our kids!

On the 18th, Kavitha and a couple of friends came to KM to visit the kids and hand over the donation. Thanks again to everyone involved, particularly her good friend Gautham, for the tremendous fundraising effort!

Meeting the girls

Checking out the boys' room

News flash: The Kids with Dia Mirza!

2011-12-26T02:44:00.003+05:30

On the 23rd, a few of our kids had a real treat and got to meet a glamorous, charming Bollywood movie star and talked to her about Christmas and giving! For details, see the article:

(The girl with the glasses in the pink top is Arabia; she and Dia had a nice conversation in Hindi!)

http://ravinamedia.blogspot.com/2011/12/body-shop-dia-mirza-spread-spirit-of.html

Our new website!

2011-12-13T04:40:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends of Operation Shanti,

News from Operation Shanti -- we have a new Operation Shanti website!

We hope the new site provides you with a good understanding of our programs and the people we help. We welcome your comments.

Link to new website

Note: see top right section of the blog page to sign up to receive an email of each new posting. You will be asked by FeedBurner to confirm your email subscription. You can also sign up to receive posts via other reader feeds, such as Google or Yahoo, or you can “like” the Operation Shanti Facebook page to see posts.

Thank you for your continued support,

Operation Shanti

p.s. thanks to matt and marianne for the incredible effort they put into our new website design!

Garth's Third Fundraiser

2011-11-21T08:43:00.000+05:30

He did it again! Garth Hewitt and his team raised over $10,000 for us at their third LA Rocks! Operation Shanti event.

Garth and his team

The event was held at the Boys and Girls Club of Venice on September 17, and a ton of dedicated yoga practitioners came to help our kids and enjoy a nice practice.

The group

Entertainment

Asana time

Thanks again to Garth and his friends for the support -- a new home will be a great way to give the kids we help, and the many more that we could help, a chance for a new life.

Daily chores

2011-11-17T05:46:00.000+05:30

The older kids at Karunya Mane all have their own chores to do each morning and evening. This teaches them self-discipline and gives them a sense of responsibility for keeping their home clean.

Some of the kids love their chores, and find them more like "play" than work. Other kids are a little lazier and know every trick in the book to avoid doing their chores!

The girls and boys have their own chores, including cleaning their living areas, washing the dishes after meals, washing their clothes and sheets and towels, feeding and washing our dogs (a definite favorite), and keeping the outside areas clean.

Vinod, Surya, and Sadiq bringing in their dry clothes.

Sample chores schedule by day.

Suma bringing in the girls' uniforms.

Drying the school socks, ties, and belts.

DEAF JAM fundraiser for Operation Shanti in the UK

2011-11-05T13:11:00.001+05:30

If you're in Manchester in the UK, or anywhere in the vicinity on December 18, feel free to drop in on a fundraiser being held for Operation Shanti. See the posters below for more information -- it looks to be an amazing musical event!

See them on FB: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180316298720384

Sunday

2011-10-28T12:22:00.000+05:30

On Sunday afternoons, the kids have some free time to hang around, finish up homework, and play. Here, they decided to put on a skit and did some singing and dancing from activities they learned at summer camp. They sure do love the spotlight!

Shanti, Suma, Manjula, and Prema

Divya, Renuka, and Manjula

Latha

Little Vishnu and Big Vishnu hamming it up

Jyothi and Thanmaye singing their favorite song

The Ganesh Festival

2011-10-10T00:05:00.000+05:30

The Ganesh festival, which fell on September 1 this year, is a popular festival in India. On this day at KM, our boys expressed their creative flair. For their Ganesh puja (a religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to the Hindu god Gaesh), the boys built themselves a little Ganesh altar in their room to celebrate the day.

They used whatever materials they could find around the grounds, including flowers and custard apples for decorations and they made a clay Ganesh figure from mud and water. Quite creative kids!

Lokesh and Sharath

Manikanta and Vinod drew the Ganesh figure.

Lighting the deepam.

Drawing class with Nasera P.

2011-09-04T11:00:00.000+05:30

As part of their extracurricular activities, the older boys and girls at KM now enjoy drawing class on Sunday afternoons with Nasera, a drawing instructor who lives in the area.

Some of the kids are quite talented, while others just see the hour as more play time... kids!

Nasera and the girls

Mamatha

Garth and the Fundraisers

2011-08-22T13:25:00.006+05:30

Thanks again to Garth Hewitt and his amazing efforts to raise funds for our kids! The June event raised over $9,000 and you can get more information here on the upcoming September event.

Take a look at a few pics from the June event:

Garth and a young supporter

A full crowd...!

Amazing volunteers and helpers

the Eco camp!

2011-07-13T11:13:00.000+05:30

This past May, during the school break, we sent four of our oldest kids to an eco camp for four days. They got to meet other kids their age, slept overnight in the camp facilities for four nights, and learned about "going green" habits and practices, cooked their own food, and went on nature walks to see birds and animals and plantlife.

Pooja, Shanti, Vinod, and Sharath said they had a great time and hope to go again next year! Here are a few pictures from their adventure.

Pooja, third from left, cooking dinner

Sharath, on the right (blue shirt), hanging out

Vinod on the right

Sharath

Thank you for the school bags!

2011-06-20T11:48:00.001+05:30

The employees at Wurth Elektronik in Mysore have such great timing -- they came to Karunya Mane during the first week of school in June to donate spankin' brand new school bags to our kids! We're so grateful for such a thoughtful and practical gift, as our kids go through their school bags like they were made of paper! They have so many notebooks and textbooks that they have to carry around all day.

Take a look:

Mr. Kemparaj from Wurth Elektronik and our little ones.

Great bag, nice colors, and heavy duty!

Suma, our oldest girl in 8th grade, packing up her new bag.

Matt and Lina's wedding

2011-06-09T09:11:00.000+05:30

In May, two good friends of Operation Shanti came to Mysore to be married by Swamiji. The kids were invited to the celebration at the cave temple, and they really enjoyed the festivities and excellent lunch!

Little Nanjunda

2011-05-14T08:53:00.001+05:30

A couple of years ago, we wrote about little Nanjunda, who has had a very difficult life even though he's not even ten years old. While on the street with his mom, he was often ignored and physically abused by her, and often didn't get enough to eat. Now, at Karunya Mane, he has had the chance to show us how smart he really is -- and he's pretty smart, getting straight A+s in school this past year.

Nanjunda has always talked about wanting to learn English, so we decided to give him that chance and are enrolling him into the nearby English medium school. So, Nanjunda and five other promising kids living at Karunya Mane will be attending St. Francis CBSE School this year.

Nanjunda is happier and more excited than we've ever seen him. He used to be a sad, unmotivated boy who, even though he excelled in school, he often didn't finish his homework and lost his books and pencils all the time.

During the two-month summer break, Nanjunda is spending his time with his tutor, brushing up on his English, and learning Hindi. He proudly shows us what he is learning every day!

Brush your teeth Canadian style

2011-05-07T09:18:00.000+05:30

Earlier this year, our friends Tomasz and Tamara from Canada and their current group of travelers visited the kids at KM. This time, one of the younger women in the group showed the kids how to properly brush their teeth.

The guests first had lunch with our kids...

...then everyone played for a bit outside...

Adarsh and his new friend from Canada

Sreenivas having a chat...

Tamara and Shanti

then everyone went upstairs to learn about brushing teeth...

...and our kids even got new brushes!

Thanks again, Tomasz and Tamara and friends for a really great visit!

Surya!

2011-04-17T11:01:00.000+05:30

One year ago, we talked about three of our children at Karunya Mane who were to attend an English medium school in the area. It was sort of an experiment, since we weren't sure what to expect when enrolling former street/slum children in a middle- and upper-class school like this. The curriculum is more rigorous and the fees are relatively high.

http://operationshanti.blogspot.com/2010/04/three-little-ones-to-cbse-school.html

Unfortunately, two of our three children struggled a bit this past year at St. Francis. Lalitha and Shwetha weren't able to show enough improvement in their performance throughout the year to merit continuing at St. Francis -- they tried their best but sometimes it's just not meant to be -- and they will attend Deepa Primary School next year with the rest of our kids.

Little Surya, on the other hand, was ranked #1 in his first grade class at St. Francis for the entire school year. He now speaks almost fluent English and earned *SO* many extracurricular awards during the school day ceremony! We are very proud of him, not just for the excellent grades but also for his outstanding behavior.

Surya in his school uniform

Thanks so much to Surya's sponsor for helping to pay for his educational expenses for the coming year.

Next year, we'll enroll two more of our top performing kindergarteners at St. Francis. These two girls, Sowmya and Vinuta, did very well in kindergarten this past year and their teachers say that they are very bright and demonstrate an interest in learning. Coincidentally, Sowmya is Surya's little sister.

Vinuta, Surya, and Sowmya at KM

Let's wish all of our kids an excellent 2011-2012 school year!

Our GiveIndia Listing for Indian Donors (updated)

2011-04-10T13:11:00.000+05:30

Just as a reminder, if you reside in India and would like to make a safe and secure online donation to our organization, please see the following link:

http://www.giveindia.org/m-969-akhanda-seva-for-international-shanti-operation-shanti.aspx

GiveIndia is an NGO in India that helps other NGOs raise funds for the poorest of the poor in India by helping its users donate money to trustworthy charities. Charities undergo a rigorous due diligence process before being listed on the GiveIndia site.

Umesh, Adarsh, and little Mohan hanging out.

Los Angeles Rocks! Operation Shanti

2011-04-06T23:38:00.000+05:30

One of our yoga teacher friends based in Los Angeles has organized a series of fundraisers for Operation Shanti, to help us build a new orphanage in Mysore. The first event was held on the Spring Equinox on March 19, and two remaining events will be held on June 18 (Summer Solstice) and September 17 (Fall Equinox).

Please see the following newsletter for more on Garth Hewitt and his generous efforts to help the kids of Mysore.

The Midwives' Visit

2011-03-24T10:03:00.000+05:30

In mid-February, the kids at Karunya Mane had visitors from travelers with the John Baines Tour in the UK. The visitors were midwives who practice in the UK and who came to India for a tour. KM was one of their stops.

The kids had a great time with their new friends, and some of the older ones practiced speaking English to the midwives.

The littlest ones, growing up nicely

2011-03-13T10:06:00.000+05:30

Our littlest ones, ages three and four, are growing up quite nicely. They are happy and smiling most of the time, and they love to eat!

Here they are just hanging out one afternoon with Aunty (our cook), giggling and engaging in a bit of mischief! Next year they start lower kindergarten.

Umesh, Adarsh, little Mohan, Aunty, little Darshan, Madappa

Doggies and kitties

2011-03-03T12:19:00.000+05:30

If you're a pet lover, walking around India and seeing the countless suffering stray dogs and cats can be a bit disconcerting. Many street dogs are put to sleep as a way to try to control the population. Other organizations work to sterilize as many as they can. And seeing these poor little animals walking around in search of food while people beat them or throw stones at them is heart breaking.

At Karunya Mane, we are trying to teach our kids to respect animals, and to treat them well. Vishnu, our most mischievous six-year-old, occasionally pulls a puppy's tail, but the rest of the kids are learning to love their KM pets.

In our cat/dog house live Martin the friendly white and orange kitty, Georgina (black doggie) and Lisa (black/white doggie) -- they are sisters found in a ditch by one of our boys while walking home from school ("pleeeeease can we keep them? they have no mom!"), Luther the not-very-friendly tabby cat (pictured below), Sweetie the friendly grey kitty, and Bob the smallest kitty (pictured below).

Below, Lalitha and Adarsh say hi to Sweetie and Lisa.

Here are Luther and Bob.

More art from Singapore

2011-02-18T14:09:00.000+05:30

Our friends from Singapore visited the kids again recently, and just in time to put some of their creative talents to use in painting our "cat/kid" room.

On Sundays, the kids helped paint some of the sea creatures and animals that were sketched onto the walls.

And here's the final product...

Thanks again to Jo-anne, Shirly, and Adeline!

High school friends in the UK

2011-02-04T12:37:00.000+05:30

Thanks to Bronte and friends at Stamford High School in Stamford in the UK, who have been raising funds for our kids. We recently received a note from them, as well as a photo of the teens who are fundraising for us:

When I came out in summer to visit you with my mum and brother I really felt like making a difference back home after having such a lovely time with all the kids that are staying with you. I told my class about what I'd been up to, and they were all really up for making a difference too. So my form and I by organising a cake sale raised the money to buy 27 boxes of vitamins for the orphanage, some of which we've already sent you. We're all very keen to help Operation Shanti, and as we have a charity money making machine on our hands (our school likes buying cake!!), we wanted to know if there was anything other than vitamin tablets that we can buy using the funds or you can buy that we can start to raise some money for.

I've attached a picture of most of us - the piece of paper I'm holding reads "Stamford High School loves Operation Shanti", unfortunately it didn't come out very well!

Best wishes,

Bronte Philips and 11CW

Thanks so much to Bronte and everyone at Stamford High School for your continuing support!

A day at Wurth Elektronik in Mysore

2011-01-28T10:42:00.000+05:30

For Children's Day this past year, on November 14, the kids were invited to spend a day at Wurth Elektronik's Mysore campus. The kids had a great time, got to play some outdoor and indoor games, were fed cookies and ice cream, and a very nice lunch made at the company's dining room.

When the arrived, the kids contributed to the company garden and planted a few plants.

Next, they sang and danced ...

...had some lunch ...

...and goofed around!

The kids also brought back a few useful gifts, like notebooks and pencils and art supplies. Thanks so much to the Wurth employees who were so welcoming to our kids!

Bye Anusha...

2011-01-23T11:03:00.000+05:30

Anusha, one of our cute little five-year-old girls, has been with us at Karunya Mane for just about two years. She's a sweet little girl who is unafraid of expressing her love and affection for others. However, she suffers from an attention deficit disorder, which has worsened during the time we've known her. She cannot focus on a simple task for even a minute, and she's always moving around and is distracted by whatever catches her eye.

Our concern was that Anusha wouldn't learn anything in a regular school (with 45+ students per teacher), and would fall far behind in her education and learning. She needed more one-on-one attention but no such special schools exist in our area. After some searching, we found another NGO in Kollegal (about an hour from Mysore) that cares for kids with special needs -- kids just like Anusha -- and they agreed to take her in.

As Anusha was leaving, some of the other girls felt very sad that she was going away. Even though Anusha often got into their things just like that pesky little sister always does, and often took their pencils, textbooks, and schoolbags as play toys, everyone really loved her like a little sister. It's been just a day, and even though we know she's in good hands, we sure do miss Anusha!

Please check back here from time to time; we'll continue to post updates on how Anusha is doing.

A reunion

2010-12-21T11:43:00.001+05:30

After staying at Karunya Mane for a year and having been in our Street People Program for several years, she transferred to a residential school in Bannur to continue her studies. Recently, Asha returned to our area during a school break and spent some time with her friends, a few of our girls at KM -- Pooja, Shanthi, and Prema.

They met up at Priya's house. Priya was Asha's tuition teacher at KM, and is now teaching Prema, Pooja, and Shanthi. So they all know each other well and had a nice time hanging out and catching up.

Priya, shown here, continued to counsel the girls and impart good advice to them.

Photos courtesy Janea Wiedmann.

Blue belts

2010-12-13T12:03:00.000+05:30

After 2 1/2 years, most of our older kids who have been taking karate lessons during this time have now earned their blue belts. A couple have their green belts, and two little ones (Surya and Sadif) just earned their yellow belts.

Before their blue belt test, the older kids practiced a bit and we were quite impressed with the progress they've made.

Sweaters from Bangalore

2010-12-01T09:32:00.000+05:30

We want to thank Saraswati, Anu, and Manjula for knitting 25+ really warm and wooly sweaters for our kids! For those of you who knit, sweater knitting takes time... and our kids appreciate the time they spend knitting sweaters for our kids.

Here are a few of our girls (Divya, Netra, and Suma) modeling the sweaters!

Prayer time

2010-11-07T10:38:00.000+05:30

Every morning at 7:00 a.m. and evening at 7:00 p.m., before breakfast and dinner, the kids sit together for prayer time. One of the older kids leads the rest of them in the prayer.

Little Darshan enjoys praying, and he has memorized most of the seven-minute long prayer that the kids recite each day!

New kids for 2010/2011

2010-10-17T13:34:00.000+05:30

Karunya Mane now houses 53 kids -- 28 boys and 25 girls. We've got several new kids this year, all from very poor backgrounds and most with just one parent (a single mother) or no parents. Some of the kids came to us from another organization that works with HIV+ women, and their mothers are single and are unable to properly for their kids by themselves. In most such situations, the fathers either abandoned the family or died.

The new kids have all gained weight, are all well-integrated into life at Karunya Mane, and attend Deepa Primary School along with our "old timers."

Three of our new kids, Pavankumar, Shivuprasad, and Kavyashree, came to us from nearby villages and have no fathers. Although Pavankumar and Kavyashree were in the 5th and 6th grades in school, they could not even write the alphabet. Now, they can not only write, they are also reading and enjoying the company of our other kids.

Akshith's mom and dad were day laborers on the coffee estate of one of our volunteers. Mom and dad battle significant health issues and were no longer able to properly care for Akshith. Akshith, age six, is a sweet, very well behaved little boy who now has many friends to play with at Karunya Mane.

Raju is a very cute, polite little boy whose mother begs on the streets of Mysore for a living. She earns about 30 rupees a day. Raju now lives with us at Karunya Mane, and is in lower kindergarten this year. He does his schoolwork every day and is a very happy, cheerful kid.

Manjula, Suma, Renuka, and Manu came to Karunya Mane after her mom, a street vendor, died from liver failure caused by her alcoholism. The three sisters had attended a government school in the city, where they were doing relatively well despite only four working teachers at the school for 1st to 7th grades. The kids have gained weight, are much healthier, and have settled in nicely at Karunya Mane. Manu, who had not yet attended school, now goes to lower kindergarten with our other little ones.

Kartik's father is a street vendor who sells various trinkets and toys. His mother passed away a few years ago from a bus accident, and dad often returned home late, leaving the boy alone after school. Kartik and dad lived in a small room off a cow shed in a village outside of Mysore. Although Kartik was in the 3rd grade, he was not performing at that level. Now, Kartik studies well and does his homework nightly.

Prakwal's mother was our cleaning lady at Karunya Mane. She stopped working when she got gravely ill and almost died this past year. Prajwal then came to stay with us at Karunya Mane as his father had run away years ago and his other relatives have refused to care for him. Prajwal is a very well behaved boy and is an excellent student. Mom, who is now in better health, visits him once a month on Sundays.

Arabia, Sadif, and Razak came to Karunya Mane after their father fell ill and suffered serious bouts of depression. Their mother died about four years ago and their father is no longer able to properly care for them. Arabia is a very well behaved girl, quiet, and very caring of others. Sadif and his younger brother Razak are also good kids and enjoy their new friends at Karunya Mane.

Tie Dye Shirts

2010-10-11T14:38:00.000+05:30

A couple of months ago while visiting their family in Mysore, Sumati and her son Kiran came to Karunya Mane to spend their Saturday and Sunday afternoons with the kids playing indoor and outdoor games.

Kiran outside with the little ones.

Sumati

Before they left, their family passed out a tie-dye shirts to our kids, who had lots of fun trying them on and posing for the camera!

Akshith, Raju, Aravind, Surya, Aravind, Shivuprasad...

Gowtham, Adarsh, Vishnu, Umesh, Mohan, Darshan, with Kaleem helping

Bullets

2010-09-21T12:46:00.000+05:30

On India's Independence Day, the kids were visited by friends from the Bullets of Mysore club, a club consisting of men who own Enfield Bullet motorcycles. The 18 riders arrived at Karunya Mane in the morning and first served the kids a nice breakfast.

Checking out the bikes.

Enjoying breakfast before the flag-raising.

The kids then entertained their guests with singing and dancing, and some play acting, before going outside to check out the amazing bikes and to partake in raising the Indian flag. Thanks again to Ananth and his friends at the Bullets of Mysore club for a very fun Independence Day.

The School Line(s)

2010-08-26T11:00:00.000+05:30

The 2010/2011 school year is in full swing, and if you've wondered what it's like trying to get 54 kids out the door for school every morning, on time, dressed properly, and with their school bags, books, pencils and pens, lunch boxes, socks, shoes, ties, and belts... well, organized chaos might be a good description.

We send 54 kids out the door each school day: three little ones in pre-nursery school, 17 children in kindergarten, and 34 kids in first through seventh grades.

A few of the older girls: Divya, Arabia, Shanthi, Prema, and Pooja

The Lines (left for kindergarten, right for 1st to 7th)

Devaraj, Nanjunda and Sadif (first graders)

Project Food and More now supports women

2010-08-19T13:03:00.000+05:30

Project Food and More, our effort to assist children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, now supports women with HIV who have been abandoned by their families. These women are often thrown out of their houses and/or after their husbands have died (from causes related to HIV), their in-laws with whom they lived refuse to help them and their children.

We currently have three such women in our program, and we endeavor to assist many more who are poor and struggle with the stigma of HIV/AIDS.

the "skippers"

2010-08-12T11:30:00.000+05:30

Our older kids (aged 12 to 16) are behind a couple of years in school because they either missed a few years when living on the streets, or went to substandard schools and their attendance was spotty.

After a couple of years at their current private school, four of our oldest boys skipped a grade this year. Last year they proved that they were ready to skip a grade, as their study habits have improved tremendously and they are getting excellent grades.

Sreenivas, Harish, Kaleem, and Venkatesh waiting to head to school

Kaleem, age 15, skipped sixth grade and is now in seventh. Venkatesh (14) and Sreenivas (16) skipped fifth grade and are now in sixth grade. And Harish (12), who skipped fourth grade, is now in fifth.

They had to study hard during their summer break with daily tutoring sessions and, although they sometimes complained about having to go to "class" every day during the summer, their hard work paid off. On their first tests this past month, they all scored no less than B+s, with most of their scores as either As or A+s.

Kids of the Week -- Raju and big Pooja

2010-07-19T13:01:00.000+05:30

We've started a new incentive program at KM, where we award the "best" kid -- one boy and one girl -- each week, for good behavior.

During the prior week, the winners must have demonstrated excellent behavior and/or great improvements in behavior, in areas such as doing their homework and chores consistently, not fighting with other children, helping out around KM without being asked, brushing their teeth each morning and evening, following our daily schedule, and washing their clothes correctly.

This week's winners are Raju and big Pooja. Raju, age 5, is a sweet, quiet boy who does his homework diligently and never fights with the other little kids. Big Pooja, age 11, has demonstrated great improvements in her behavior -- where in the past she used to cry all the time and avoid doing her chores, she has started to do them without being reminded and has exhibited more mature behavior.

The winners get daily snacks for school each week (cookies, candy, fruits, other goodies)!

Raju

big Pooja

Mysore Ladies' Circle

2010-07-16T10:25:00.000+05:30

Earlier this year, the women from the Mysore Ladies' Circle came to Karunya Mane to meet our kids. The Ladies' Circle is made up of young professional women and housewives who do charitable work around the city of Mysore.

They enjoyed meeting our kids, and our kids enjoyed meeting them and the kids from their "Genius Club", who engage in charitable projects each year.

Girls dancing!

2010-07-07T11:24:00.000+05:30

The kids who attended the Natana Workshop this past summer learned a few songs; here are Pooja, Prema, Shanthi, and Divya sharing one of them with you:

Three big kids to Bannur...

2010-07-07T11:17:00.000+05:30

This year, we transferred three of our oldest kids to a residential school in Bannur, a town about a 45-minute drive from Mysore. These three kids will be able to accelerate their educational progress there, as well as have the opportunity to make friends with more kids their own age.

The three who have gone to Bannur are Lokesh, Nanjunda, and Asha, below, saying goodbye to her cousin Gowtham.

Lokesh and Nanjunda (both in red shirts, sitting) waiting in the van.

We first stopped on the street so that Nanjunda could say a quick goodbye to his grandma (his closest relative, who lives and works on the street).

Grannie is quite happy that Nanjunda wanted to continue his education, and does not want to return to the street life.

So far, the three kids are doing well at Bannur, where they wake every morning at 4:30 for prayer and yoga practice, followed by a bath, studying and breakfast, and then school all day.

In memory of Mr. Joseph

2010-06-15T10:01:00.000+05:30

We were saddened to learn of Joseph's recent passing, and wanted to take this moment to thank him for all that he did for our street kids.

Each Christmas, Joseph gathered up a group of yoga students in Gokulam and encouraged everyone to donate presents to our kids -- and to kids at other orphanages in Mysore -- he must have had 200+ kids on his list every year who benefitted from his kind spirit. He'd then don his red scarf and come to distribute the presents to the kids, enjoying every minute of their delight.

The following pictures are from December 2007 at our Street Program. The girls below, Amitha and Prema, loved their dolls!

The kids gave Joseph a photo album as a Christmas present.

Joseph always remembered our kids, and sent many volunteers and very helpful people our way. Joseph, our kids thank you for your kind and generous support throughout the years, and may you rest in peace until your next fabulous journey. Mysore won't be the same without you.

little Gowtham

2010-06-01T10:21:00.000+05:30

Here's little Gowtham these days, much healthier and happier than when he lived in the slum. He's still a bit tiny for his age, but eats well and plays hard. This year, he also starts studying, as he is now in lower kindergarten.

Gowtham with Sweeti

Awards at school

2010-05-16T09:46:00.001+05:30

This year, a few of our big kids and little kids won awards at school -- in categories like attendance, good behavior, cleanliness, sports performance, and citizenship...

Anand, Nanjunda, Vishnu, Pallavi, Sowmya, Tunmaya

After a full summer (April, May) of playing and some tutoring, the kids are all starting school again at the end of May.

A summer with the Natana Raja Mata and Rangayana drama workshops

2010-04-25T10:03:00.000+05:30

The Natana.org website describes Natana Raja Mata as a summer workshop that educates and entertains children, and caters to children in various dimensions, to benefit the child's wholesome personality development. Raja Mata covers a range of topics, from modern dance to rural games.

Natana is run by Mandya Ramesh, a well-known comedian in India. He invites many of his movie and TV actor and actress friends to interact with the kids.

And, ten of our kids (Venkatesh, Pallavi, Latha, Sumitra, Prema, Pooja, Shanthi, Divya, Vijayalakshmi, and Manikanta) get to attend this great camp this summer, from April 11 to May 6!

Here's a peek at Natana:

So far, the kids have been engaged in acting, dancing, and arts and crafts. They are always eager to get there in the morning (around 9:30 am) and are very happy when picked up in the evening (4:30 pm).

Venkatesh

Another five of our kids (Vinod, Sharath, Shwetha, Devaraj, and Netravati) are attending the Rangayana workshop, held by Rangayana, a theatre repertory, in Mysore. It is a workshop similar to that of Natana.

The kids at Rangayana go swimming, dance, act, and engage in arts and crafts. Sometimes, they start at 7:00 am, so they can take walks around the nearby lake and learn about nature.

Netra and Vinod in front of the crafts they decorated the day before.

Both workshops host about 250 to 300 children from all socio-economic backgrounds, so our kids will get to interact with kids from middle- and upper-class families.

We're very grateful to Ananth and his supporters at the Narayan Foundation for securing fifteen free spots for our kids this summer at these really great workshops! Thanks.

What "home" looks like

2010-04-21T14:09:00.001+05:30

We hope that you can visit our kids at Karunya Mane some day if you haven't already. If you can't make it to Mysore, here are a few pictures of their home.

The front...

The back...

The boys' room (and tutoring room)...

The girls' room (and dining room)...

The kitchen and our cook...

Where we do our laundry...

Hanging out with growing kids

2010-04-16T11:11:00.000+05:30

As all kids do, ours are growing up quite nicely. Here are pictures of a few of them taken recently, while we were all hanging out one afternoon at Karunya Mane.

Harish

Mohan, Prema, and Darshan

Shanti, Prema, Asha, Shwetha, and Sumitra

Venkatesh and Mohan (Darshan and Adarsh in the background)

The Veggie Garden and Nutritional Meals

2010-04-12T10:37:00.000+05:30

Our veggie garden thrives (when we have enough water to water the plants, that is)... and we've named it Madappa's Garden, after our dear gardener Madappa. He does a fabulous job and makes sure that everyone is working their butts off in the garden!

The kids help out, digging up the dirt, planting seeds, and then picking ripe veggies for our meals.

Sharath and Lokesh

We've enjoyed turnip and beans for palya and sambar...

...and Aunty, our cook, uses the dill to make a really nice sambar to enjoy with our ragi mudde (balls). Also being grown this year are tomatoes, brinjal (eggplant), green chilies, and "leafs" (spinach and other healthy green and leafy veggies). Yum!

We've also improved the nutritional quality of the food that we serve our kids:

making "thick" sambar (curry), which means that we use a hefty amount of lentils (dal) in our sambar (thanks to the generous monthly donations of food rations from Arun and friends at L and T, we are able to do this!);
using a lot more veggies in our sambar;
serving the kids palya (a nice vegetable side dish with lentils) three times a week;
making dry chapatis (cooked without any oil);
serving ragi mudde (millet balls) every night for dinner (ragi is millet, and is much healthier than white rice -- sort of like using brown rice instead of white rice in terms of increasing fiber and nutritional content);
limiting the paisa (a very sweet dessert) served to only special occasions to reduce sugar intake;
implementing a ban on soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, etc...) at KM; and
using less salt and oil in our food.

The boys help Aunty make chapatis. They make about 130 chapatis for dinner
either once a week (during schooltime) or twice a week (during the summer holiday).

Three little ones to CBSE school...

2010-04-09T16:57:00.001+05:30

India has two different curriculum that schools can follow -- the State syllabus or the CBSE syllabus. The CBSE, or the Central Board of Secondary Education, syllabus is the central government's educational curriculum. Students under the CBSE curriculum face a more rigorous program at all grades, and the majority of the learning is done in English. CBSE is accessible primarily to children from middle- and upper-class backgrounds, as these schools are mostly private and are quite expensive -- anywhere between ten and twenty times the cost of our kids' current private school fees.

(So... if after reading this blurb, you're interested in supporting one of our CBSE-bound kids next year, let us know! Two are already sponsored, and we're looking for a third sponsor to cover the first year tuition of approximately 16,000 rupees or US$350.)

As such, lower-class and destitute but talented kids rarely have the chance to attend CBSE schools. Of the CBSE schools that we talked with in Mysore, none has ever admitted a child with a background similar to that of our kids at Karunya Mane.

Nevertheless, we're going to try to do something different next year and admit three of our top-performing little ones to a CBSE school. We believe that, after a period of adjustment to the stricter, more rigorous curriculum, they will thrive and do well in such an environment.

Our three little ones heading to CBSE school are Surya, Shwetha, and Lalitha. Lalitha, who just finished nursery school, has been admitted to kindergarten. Surya and Shwetha will take the entrance exam on April 17th, for admission to 1st and 2nd grades, respectively. They are currently getting tutoring during the summer break (April and May) by one of the teachers working at the school.

Little Surya, below, studies very well and his overall behavior is excellent -- he is mature, composed, quiet, very responsible for his age, and extremely thoughtful in all of his actions. His tutor says that he's incredibly smart and picks up new concepts immediately. It's amazing to remember that he spent his early years sitting with his mom on the streets while she begged.

Surya

Shwetha will start 2nd grade next year, and is, like Surya, a very well-behaved child. She comes from a broken, abusive home environment, but mom has remained a loving and caring supporter of her kids throughout their family turmoil. Shwetha washes her own clothes every morning and is always willing and ready to help someone else whenever she can. Shwetha did well in school this year, and loves her new CBSE tutor.

Shwetha

Lalitha

Little Lalitha will start kindergarten at the CBSE school. This past year, she attended nursery school and after-school tutoring with three other little boys from KM (Gowtham, Mohan, and big Darshan) -- and in that group, she proved herself to be quite independent and the unquestionable leader.

Next year, as our next set of nursery school kids (currently, Umesh, Adarsh, and little Darshan) work their way through their first year of being in a school environment, we'll evaluate them to determine who may be a good fit for admission to the CBSE school. We also plan to admit to CBSE 1st grade some of the kids finishing up kindergarten next school year, as a few of the little girls in that group are quite sharp, like Sowmya (Surya's sister), Jyothi, Tunmaya, and Parveen... we'll keep you posted on their progress.

The risk, of course, is that our kids won't "fit in" given the disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds that they come from. But we are confident that, with the right guidance and support, they can break through these barriers and thrive in their new school.

Without a doubt, they deserve the opportunity. Let's wish Surya and Shwetha luck on the entrance exams on the17th!

This year's school dance program

2010-04-07T12:38:00.003+05:30

This school year at Deepa Primary School, some of our kids participated in their school dance program. The kids rehearsed every day for over a month, and everyone had a great time at the event!

Little Sowmya in her costume.

Our five oldest boys did a special number of their own.

Nanjunda, Lokesh, Kaleem, Venkatesh, and Sreenivasa.

Some of the moms attended, including Kavita (holding Vishnu), Sushila, and Kumari.

Big Pooja showed off her "bling" and danced a lovely number with a few other girls.

Prema also participated in a girls' dance about their day at school.

Our GiveIndia Listing for Indian Donors

2010-04-03T03:32:00.005+05:30

If you reside in India and would like to make a safe and secure online donation to our organization, please see the following link:

http://www.giveindia.org/m-969-akhanda-seva-for-international-shanti-operation-shanti.aspx

Vinod, Devaraj, Kaleem, and Sharath picking turnips from our garden.

Art by Devaraj

2010-03-20T11:39:00.003+05:30

Devaraj is one of our little boys who used to live on the streets and was orphaned in mid 2009 when his mom died. He and his brother Harish stay at Karunya Mane with us, and both are very well-behaved boys.

Devaraj

Devaraj likes to draw. Here's a picture of himself with his friend Shanthi.

Old friends from Canada

2010-02-27T07:00:00.001+05:30

In January, Tomasz -- an old friend of Operation Shanti -- returned to India with a few of his friends from Canada to visit with the kids.

Tomasz and Tamara held a couple of fabulous fundraisers for us last year, and returned this year with lots of practical goodies for the kids!

Tomasz with the kids.

Eating lunch, KM style.

Anusha and Parveen meet their new friend.

Little Adarsh

2010-02-14T07:00:00.000+05:30

Little Adarsh, who came to us last year, continues to win everyone's hearts. He's growing up quite nicely, eats well, plays hard, and wins everyone over with his cute smile and impeccable behavior.

Thanks to Dr. Ben Kim and his readers...

2010-02-04T11:05:00.006+05:30

... for raising enough money to help us purchase a van for Karunya Mane. The van will come in handy in taking our 3- and 4-year-olds to nursery school when it rains, to pick up food rations in bulk, and for many other practical uses around the shelter.

As with many similar vehicles in India, the van runs on liquid propane gas, which is cleaner and a lot cheaper than gasoline.

Thanks again to Dr. Ben Kim and his readers at www.drbenkim.com!

Prasad's house

2010-01-31T05:00:00.000+05:30

Four children were recently added to our Project Food and More program, which helps children orphaned by HIV/AIDS on a monthly basis. This brings the number of kids we help through this program to 51.

The first of the four, Prasad (names have been changed to protect their privacy), lives with his aunt in a village right outside of Mysore. His dad died in 2002, and his mom is too ill to take care of him and has been moved to a terminal care facility near the city. Prasad's aunt struggles to earn a living for her son, her husband (who suffered from a stroke three years ago) and Prasad.

The second child is Siddraju, who lives with his uncle in a village outside of Mysore. Siddraju's mom and dad both died in 2009 and his uncle earns about 2000 rupees a month, which is supposed to support the seven people in the household.

Ragu and Rashmi live with their aunt in a single room in Mysore. Their mom died in 2004 and their dad died in 1999. Their aunt rolls incense sticks for a living, and their uncle is a cook but he does not work consistently.

Christmas...

2010-01-25T21:00:00.001+05:30

This year (2009) for Christmas, we decorated the building with some nice Christmas lights and put up a tree. There were even a few presents for the kids under the tree when they woke up in the morning!

Presents waiting for the kids when they woke up on Christmas day.

After breakfast and before their special Christmas lunch, the kids had fun opening presents. The girls got nail polish and clothes and bangles and the boys got clothes, a belt, and a hat.

Difficult children

2010-01-19T12:33:00.005+05:30

This month, we had to expel one of our older girls. We learned that she had been stealing money from the security personnel as well as attempting to do the same from volunteers, and unfortunately this has been going on for some time. Since stealing is such a serious crime, and she had been warned several times -- and, equally importantly, our little ones view the older kids as role models -- we had to let her go.

She has gone back to her home in the slum, and from there we will help her continue her education. She will finish the school year at the current school, and we'll provide the transportation to get her to and from. Then, next year her mother will enroll her in a private school near her house, with our support.

Letting her go was an unfortunate and difficult decision, and even though she wanted to return to KM, everyone involved seems to be pleased with the resulting solution. It helps her continue her education and sets an example for others regarding behavior that is not tolerated at KM.

the ABC Shack

2010-01-11T12:53:00.005+05:30

In early December, three volunteers had the idea and plan to paint our little shack in a very imaginative, educational way.

Venkatesh

The finished product!

The Kannada Alphabet

The kids helped with the painting, and even today some of the littlest ones stand in front of the walls, reciting the ABCs (both Kannada, the local language, and English).

Big Nanjunda

2009-12-10T11:12:00.007+05:30

We've known big Nanjunda now for over four years, and first met him on the streets in 2005. He lived there with his mom and grandmother. Mom passed away in 2008, and his dad lives somewhere in Bangalore but is rarely seen.

Nanjunda has come a long way from his life on the street. While at Karunya Mane these past two years, his behavior has improved tremendously -- especially this year, as he has started to take his studies seriously and is now first in his class. We expect that he will be able to skip 7th grade next year and start in 8th, which will help him catch up.

Studying

Nanjunda has also stepped up as a leader for our little boys, ensuring that they form proper lines when walking to the bathroom at night before bed, and when going to meals.

Getting ready for school.

Morning chores

2009-12-07T10:00:00.000+05:30

The older kids at Karunya Mane do their share of daily chores around the shelter in the morning before school, and help keep their home as clean and tidy as is possible (with 43 little ones running around). They wash the bathrooms, walk the dogs, clean their personal areas and our office, and make sure the little ones are ready for school.

Improvement

2009-11-23T04:08:00.003+05:30

Deepti, a homeless street woman who came to us a few months ago, needed significant medical attention. A few years ago, Deepti was kidnapped and taken to a brothel in Mumbai, where she was forced to service numerous men each night. She managed to run away late one night, and make her way to the police station. She spent a few years at a shelter in Mysore, but somehow ended up back on the street.

Deepti has AIDS as well as tuberculosis, and a chronic infection in her cervix area. She is undergoing medication for her conditions.

Deepti takes her medicines regularly, and we're so excited because she is finally gaining weight! TB patients usually undergo significant weight loss before treatment, and HIV patients often experience wasting syndrome. Deepti was about 30 kg (66 lb) when she first came to us. After about a month on the TB meds, they begin to gain weight. For Deepti, that process took three months. She's just about finished with her TB treatment, and now weighs a much healthier 38 kg (84 lb).

Let's keep hoping that Deepti continues to improve and begins to enjoy a more peaceful and happy life at Karunya Mane.

Venkatesh, artist and athlete

2009-11-16T02:47:00.001+05:30

Venkatesh recently won the top prize in an art competition at school. Just a few years ago, Venkatesh lived on the streets of Mysore with his mom and siblings and was in our street program. He enjoyed drawing and painting back then, and he still does today.

Getting a bath from mom in 2005, and doing some painting in our street program.

At Karunya Mane, Venkatesh takes twice-weekly karate lessons. He is also a great cricket player and all-around athlete, and recently won several prizes in athletic events at school.

October 2009 e-newsletter

2009-10-28T06:41:00.002+05:30

Our October 2009 e-newsletter is out.

Karate with the little ones

2009-10-18T18:28:00.002+05:30

At the same time that the big kids get their karate lessons on Tuesday and Sunday mornings, the little ones also have a lesson with the karate teacher.

Although really early in the morning (rise and shine at 5am), they do seem to enjoy their lessons!

Harish and the big guy

2009-10-09T04:00:00.000+05:30

During the physical education period at school, a teacher plays outdoor games with the kids. Here, you can see Harish taking on his PE teacher...

We're guessing that Harish ran circles around poor teacher, who seemed a bit out of shape!

Jumping rope

2009-09-29T07:16:00.001+05:30

The kids are on their Dasara holiday from the 18th of September to the 2nd of October.
During the break, they have a daily schedule, with the normal bath/prayer routine in the morning, followed by breakfast and chores. They also continue their tutoring classes, so they don't forget what they learned in school, and spend the rest of the time playing games and engaging in some really fun outdoor activities.

Shanti

Prema and Manikanta helping Shanti

Prema

Manikanta

Sharath going to ride his bike

Nanjunda during the daily cricket gameVenkatesh

All of the toys and games for the kids were donated by generous supporters of our work. Thanks!

What do the little ones do all day?

2009-09-20T20:00:00.003+05:30

Wonder what the little ones do all day?

To start with, four of our tiny tots, Mohan, Lalitah, Gowtham, and Darshan, attend pre-nursery school from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm each day. Adarsh, the fifth little one, is two years old and starts school next year.

Lalitha, Gowtham, and Darshan

First they take a bath and eat their breakfast. Then they get ready for school, by brushing their teeth, getting dressed, and combing their hair. Next, they get a ride to nursery school since they are small and it's a little far for them to walk.

At 12:30pm, they return for lunch, a little nap and playtime, and then tutoring with Vaibao! Vaibao spends 15 minutes with each teaching them to write the letters of the alphabet. He also sings songs with them and tries his best to get them to sit still for a few minutes.

Darshan seems to be listening intently to Vaibao.

Then decides that showing teacher his toy cell phone is more interesting!

Darshan wants to show you the Dasara elephants

2009-09-17T06:50:00.004+05:30

It's almost Dasara time in the city of Mysore, and the big, gentle elephants are out every day on their practice walk, preparing for the city-wide parade in a couple of weeks.

During Dasara, the kids get two weeks off from school.

Little Darshan showing you the elephants

Operation Shanti and the India Giving Challenge

2009-09-09T05:00:00.000+05:30

Beginning on September 1, residents of India can donate to us through the web page below, as part of the GiveIndia India Giving Challenge. The fundraising effort runs from September 1 to October 10.

http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/operationshanti

Please send this link above to everyone that you know in India, or anyone who may know someone in India, such as colleagues at offices in India, who may be interested in donating to our cause.

The charities raising the most money or who have the highest number of unique donors will receive matching donations from GiveIndia, as follows:

Matching limit	Top Three Corporates by Funds Raised	Top Three NGOs by Funds Raised	Top Three Corporates by Number of Unique Donors	Top Three NGOs by Number of Unique Donors
First	Rs. 10 lacs	Rs. 8 lacs	Rs. 2.5 lacs	Rs. 2.5 lacs
Second	Rs. 6 lacs	Rs. 4 lacs	Rs. 1.5 lacs	Rs. 1.5 lacs
Third	Rs. 4 lacs	Rs. 3 lacs	Rs. 1 lac	Rs 1 lac
(Note: 1 lac ≈ US$2,000)

GiveIndia will match on a one-for-one basis the funds raised by the top charities.

If you're not a resident of India, you can still contribute to our efforts here.

Thanks!

Fundraiser in Gokulam

2009-08-28T12:51:00.004+05:30

If you're in Mysore, please join us for a fabulous fundraiser dinner sponsored by Anu's Bamboo Hut! Friday, September 4, at 6:00pm. And meet a few of our cute kids who will be attending.

(click on the link for a larger view)

Kumari and life changes

2009-08-26T07:00:00.000+05:30

Kumari, one of our long-time street moms, has been staying at Karunya Mane as she suffers from lung damage. After a recent ten-day stay at a local hospital to recover from a serious case of pneumonia and hypoxia, she came to KM to live. During her first month after being discharged from the hospital, Kumari needed to be on oxygen, and it was a challenge for her to adjust.

While on the street, Kumari sold vegetables or made flower leis, and she worked hard to earn decent wages during the flower season. She was one of the first women we met on the street in 2005, and she did her best to care for her kids even in that challenging environment. See a brief interview with Kumari in our Operation Shanti Introduction Video.

Kumari helped us tremendously through our Street People Program, referring orphans and other destitute children to us and trying to ensure that the other women in our program behaved properly. Kumari has always been reliable, a straight-talker, engages in no drama or B.S., and only cares about the well-being of her kids.

Kumari at KM with little Mohan, her 3-year-old son, and little Adarsh

Kumari, little Nanjunda (nephew), and Sumitra (daughter)

during a visit with grannie Rachamma

The doctors say that Kumari's lungs won't improve and the goal is to prevent them from worsening. A clean-air environment can help immensely. Unfortunately, the pollution in the city would be too much for her lungs.

Her condition has improved a bit, and she doesn't need the oxygen as much, but her right lung "crackles" when the doctor listens to her breathing, so we are encouraging her to stay at KM. She can watch her kids -- Mohan, Sumitra, Prema, and Venkatesh -- at KM grow up, attend school, and enjoy their childhood.

... on the way to orange belts ...

2009-08-17T22:00:00.001+05:30

On the way to getting their orange belts -- the kids had a Sunday session with other karate students of the school, practicing what they've learned. In a couple of weeks, they'll be going for their orange belt tests, an all-day event with hundreds of other kids taking karate lessons.

Sharath and Harish

Asha and another student

Lokesh and Sreenevasa

Cute kids coming home from school

2009-08-08T06:00:00.001+05:30

... in case you were jonesing for some cute kid photos -- here are some of our kids returning from kindergarten class.

Vishnu, Sumitra, and Shweta

(can you believe that Vishnu is in kindergarten???)

Anusha and Vinuta

little Pooja and Swarana

Tunmai!

Imran and little Vishnu again

Hope and improvement

2009-08-01T08:19:00.002+05:30

Over the years, we have lost HIV+ women who had also contracted tuberculosis. HIV and tuberculosis is a difficult combination for many reasons, including the toxicity of the medications needed to treat each illness.

One of our street women, Deepti (her name has been changed to protect her privacy), was recently diagnosed with AIDS, and a few weeks later with tuberculosis. Like the other women who died, she was emaciated and could barely eat -- weighing a mere 30 kg (65 lbs). Like the other women we lost, she had a fever for weeks and frequent vomiting and diarrhea. Like the other women we lost, we admitted her to the local HIV clinic, where she started on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Soon after starting on ART, she developed lumps in her lymph nodes. Testing revealed that she had tuberculosis, and she was started on anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT). But, unlike the other women we lost, her ART medication was changed to accommodate her need for ATT.

Fortunately for Deepti, the doctors today know better how to treat patients with both AIDS and TB. A few years ago this was not the case, and doctors hesitated putting patients on ART when they were already taking ATT for their tuberculosis. Today, these patients have a better chance of survival.

Deepti was discharged from the hospital and, unlike the other women we lost, her health has improved dramatically -- she has gained a few pounds, can eat a full meal now, looks 100% healthier and happier, and is ready to get on with her life. She still has a long way to go, and we hope that she has many good years ahead of her. Since she has no home, does not want to live on the street, and her family has shut her out, she'll be living at Karunya Mane.

"Little Girl" by Deborah Crooks

2009-07-20T13:24:00.005+05:30

A friend of Operation Shanti donated a song to us. We've used it here:

Challenges

2009-07-16T03:00:00.003+05:30

A recent visitor to Karunya Mane asked us, aside from fundraising, what our biggest challenge is. Often, the answer is, sadly, the parents.

Many of our kids have at least one parent, a few have both parents, and several no longer have parents. The parents are unable to properly care for their kids, being destitute themselves, are often single moms, or are moms with a deadbeat husband who drinks whatever earnings they have.

Most of our kids have endured abuse, either physical or emotional, at the hand of a mom or a dad. This happens not necessarily because the parent doesn't care or wants to abuse a child, but because the parent was abused by his or her own parent, and knows no other way.

Little Nanjunda's story is heartbreaking and, at the same time, filled with hope.

Little Nanjunda, now eight years old, lived on the streets of Mysore for most of his short life with his mom and grannie. His dad left his mom years ago, and his mom begs on the streets to earn money for their food. She used to abuse Nanjunda quite badly at times, hitting him and often throwing him on the ground then stomping on him, and speaking to him very roughly. Grannie helped take care of Nanjunda, and she often fed and bathed him.

Nanjunda's mom did not stay in one place for very long. Instead, she went back and forth between the streets and her boyfriend's home in a village about an hour away. When she and her boyfriend argued (usually resulting in her being injured by him), she and Nanjunda returned to the street. A week or so later, Nanjunda would find himself back in the village when his mom and her boyfriend made up.

Last year, grannie wanted Nanjunda to live at Karunya Mane, so that he could start school and have a nice living environment. He was already seven years old and, given his mom's unstable lifestyle, had not yet started school. In May 2008, Nanjunda came to live at Karunya Mane, and both mom and grannie were satisfied and visited him once a month on Sundays. Nanjunda loved school and his after-school tuition sessions, and often talked about learning English so he could fly on an airplane to America.

little Nanjunda (center) with Pallavi (right) and Apu (left) in 2007

Then, mom's boyfriend, who has an uncontrollable temper when drunk, started demanding that the boy be released and returned back to his mother and their shack in the village. They arrived at Karunya Mane one day, jumped the gate, and stole the boy away.

Nanjunda stayed in the village for the next few months, missing the rest of his school year. Then again this May, we found mom and Nanjunda back on the street -- it seems that they were kicked out of the village. After a few weeks, mom asked us to take Nanjunda back at Karunya Mane, as he desperately wanted to live there again and continue school with all of his friends.

After reporting our process to the local police (as a way to discourage mom from causing trouble in the future), little Nanjunda returned to Karunya Mane, and is now back in school.

We are well aware that mom may reconcile with her boyfriend again in the future, come to Karunya Mane and cause a scene again to get her son back. We'll do what we can to keep the boy with us, as his safety and future are most important.

two FABULOUS weekends -- shopping and sharing

2009-06-28T05:09:00.003+05:30

In June, the kids at Karunya Mane enjoyed two incredibly amazing weekends.

The First Weekend
One Sunday in June, a very generous and kind man, Paul from the US and his family, and Sharath, Shemi and Saraswati from the Ashtanga yoga shala in Mysore, sponsored a shopping spree for the kids!

Paul wanted to take our kids shopping to buy whatever clothes and toys that they wanted! Sharath suggested Big Bazaar, a mega-store in the heart of the city. And even though our kids have come a long way in terms of good study habits, cleanliness, and overall excellent behavior, you have to remember that--just a couple of years ago--our kids were the kids who stood outside these stores, begging and selling their trinkets. They could never have imagined stepping into a store like this.

But this particular Sunday, all 43 kids at Karunya Mane went shopping! Words can't begin to describe their day, which began with a visit to KM, then a drive to the store...

... getting organized into groups outside ...

... and then, after figuring out how to get on the escalator for the very first time in their lives and then staring forever at the incredible quantity of toys and dolls and cricket bats and cute clothes and more, buying stuff...

... if that wasn't enough, afterwards there was chocolate for everyone!

Jeevan: mmm, yum

Before parting ways, Paul and Sharath had a few words for the kids...

... telling the kids that they got some great gifts today, and that everyone must ...

... share their presents with each others, because that is what we do, we share what we have.

Big Bazaar graciously offered lunch to all of our kids in their employee lunchroom.

bye!

We wonder what Prema was thinking as we drove away...

The Second Weekend
During the second weekend, our kids decided to give some toys--four big bags full--to another children's shelter, since their kids had no toys.

And Asha, our oldest girl, donated the 50 rupees she had in her pocket to help buy some snacks for them.

Asha, Lokesh, Amita, and Sharath came along to deliver the toys and visit with the other kids.

We hope your June was as full of fun and sharing as ours.

third photo courtesy Mysore Mitra.

Abandoned

2009-06-23T05:00:00.001+05:30

A field social worker found a little girl at the bus station a couple of weeks ago and brought her to us. She's almost four years old, and was a little shy for her first two hours at Karunya Mane, then she opened right up!

Tunmai enjoying her milk at KM

Tunmai loves to talk with the other kids, and she shared with them that she used to play at the bus station while her mom drank and slept there. The social worker and her organization placed mom in a rehab facility, where she'll stay for a few weeks. Nobody knows where dad might be, although the little girl talks about him leaving their house and going to work.

The other newcomer to Karunya Mane is little Adarsh. He was abandoned by his mom, and a social worker brought him to us. Nobody knew his name, so our kids named him "Adarsh," which means "perfection." He seems to be about two years old, and is still adjusting to Karunya Mane. His hair is a little thin, he has a big belly (usually a sign of malnutrition), and a runny nose but should be fine in a few days, as he's got lots of love around him, with all of our kids watching over him.

little Adarsh after a week at KM

Sanju is back

2009-06-19T06:00:00.001+05:30

Do you ever wonder who the street people are, especially the ones who look like they haven't had a bath or a decent meal in years? Or do you just walk by them, trying not to look because they stare at you with the most pitiful expression in their eyes, begging for something from you? They're just humans, with their own stories, and sometimes have fascinating personalities and life dramas, and a host of strengths and weaknesses. Just like the rest of us.

Often, it is difficult to understand where they came from or how they got to be in their situation. Many are mentally challenged, meaning that talking with them to find out their story is even more difficult.

Regardless, some display a warmth, an innocence, and a genuineness that is sometimes rarely seen in our fellow humans, who are busy with earning money, taking care of the house, and trying to climb their respect "corporate ladders."

Maybe by having absolutely nothing to their name except for the clothes on their back, the odds and ends packed away in the ever-present plastic bag ("plastic cover" in India) that they carry, and the two or three rupees in their possession makes them so open, so free of judgment, so carefree, that getting to know them forces us to look inside our own selves and reevaluate our own lives.

Sanju in 2007

Sanju, an endless wanderer, is such a street person. We met her in 2007 when she arrived at our area on the street. She immediately became everyone's favorite because of her smile, her genuine warmth, and her absolute inability to pester anyone for money. She even turned down coins when she felt that she already had enough for her day's meals.

Sanju talked to the street kids about her "computer brain," and they laughed when she laughed. At times she spewed out phrases in such perfect English ("It is raining!" instead of "Rain coming!") that we wondered where she came from and what her experiences have been along the way.

Then after a few months, she left suddenly and without warning, and without saying anything to the new friends she made. We didn't see her for two full years.

Recently, Sanju returned and seemed the same as before, maybe a little more melancholy. Sanju told us that she went far away, to stay with the Tibetan nuns who cut her hair and gave her food.

Sanju, back at Sayyaji Rao in 2009

Older by two years, Sanju seems a bit less happy and carefree, and is a little worried about her eyesight. We took her to the eye clinic, and they told her to come back the following Wednesday for cataract surgery, but she was too afraid to go. Hopefully, she'll be ready one day.

And we asked her, "Sanju, do you have enough money for food today?" "Oh, yes!" she responds in English, and shows us her seven coins and a ten-rupee note. We offer her another ten-rupee note but she said "beda" in the local language (meaning "I don't want it"), and our other street women friends -- who all knew her two years ago -- tell her to take it so she can buy more food later. But she refuses. Funny Sanju. We do love her complete honesty and transparency, hiding nothing.

A new baby...

2009-06-13T05:22:00.000+05:30

Banu, a young woman who lives on the street, just had a baby, who we named Venkatesh. We're not sure where Banu is from, but she looks about 17 or 18, and came to the street a few years ago.

The baby's grandma is Kaveriamma, one of our other street women, and her grandson Rajesh, who is also about 17 or 18, is the father.

Mom Banu and baby Venkatesh

Feedback

2009-06-08T17:20:00.001+05:30

We just a note from Regina, the volunteer who spent a couple of months with the kids chanting and singing with them twice a week. She recently went back to Australia for a few months, and plans to return to Mysore in August, to continue her volunteer efforts with our kids:

Anyway just wanted to say thanks again for the opportunity to be with the children. We had so much fun, I must say that I miss them very much and feel so energized from being with them and learning new chants with them, we danced we played we laughed and rejoiced in this wonderful universe, I cannot remember the last time I had such a wonderful time, for me this experience has been the essence of yoga.

As you know our beloved Guru [Pattabhi Jois] left his body but when I think about him leaving I also think about the gift of life that the orphanage holds and the opportunity to serve and and be humble within our life. I suffer on one hand from arthritis but I rejoice on the other for now it is time for Seva which is another school of yoga: Service and Devotion.

Many thanks to you and the board at Operation Shanti for allowing me the opportunity to do some service, I look forward to continuing in some capacity when I return to Mysore in August.

Aum Shanti Aum
sistashree

Charity Yoga Event in Los Angeles for Operation Shanti

2009-06-07T05:27:00.005+05:30

If you are in the LA area, please click on the following image for details on how to participate in a charity yoga event for our kids, held by Garth Hewitt.

The events include a raffle for great prizes from excellent corporate sponsors, an art auction, and an exhibition of Garth's photographs from India.

Project Dog House

2009-06-05T05:24:00.001+05:30

Another summer project for our older kids was building a dog house for our three dogs, who came with our kids from the street. Here's what they came up with. Not bad for using extra materials around the facility and a bit of cement -- and all for under $10!

Mom Maggie and her puppies arrived last year. Puppies Gundha and Shirley are now fully grown. Having pets around teaches the kids not to beat them and hit them, and to take good care of their animals.

The older kids are also responsible for washing and walking the dogs when they aren't studying. Considering our dogs are street mutts, they sure are nice and clean. And friendly!

Sumitra, Devaraj, Manikanta, Jyothi, Netra, and Pallavi
hanging out in front of the dog house.

Online in Finland

2009-06-01T03:36:00.002+05:30

Thanks to our friend Satu for writing about us on a travel blog in Finland:

http://blog.travelstart.fi/2009/05/apua-intian-katulapsille.html

(Google translate does a decent job translating from Finnish to English...)

Vishnu, Vinuta, Imran, Darshan, Jyothi

Kaleem's birthday (and cute kids)

2009-05-29T08:15:00.000+05:30

Kaleem celebrated his eleventh birthday on May 6 this year.

Darshan and Devaraj giggling. Little Pooja eagerly waiting for her slice of birthday cake.

Amita trying to feed little Umesh a piece of cake. Suma also waiting for cake.

Kaleem

Milk!

2009-05-29T07:53:00.001+05:30

As part of their nutrition program, the kids at KM get a glass of milk every morning before school and every afternoon when returning from school. Also added to the milk are a couple of scoops of protein powder for an extra nutrition boost.

Saroja pouring Sreenevasa his milk while Harish
helps scoop in the protein powder

Little Sumitra getting her glass from Saroja... mmm, looks yummy!

Summer cooking lessons

2009-05-21T10:30:00.001+05:30

This summer (April/May), the kids had a few activities while on their school break. One was cooking lessons twice a week from Anu. They learned to make lots of Indian favorites, like upma, tomato bhat, idlis, vegetable palyas, and lemon rice. Their first lesson of course, was on hygiene in the kitchen and the need to clean a kitchen til it is spotless.

Sreenevasa, Asha, Kaleem, Nanjunda, Amita, Venkatesh, Lokesh, Vinod

Anu moved the stove to the floor so all could see and participate

Asha holding the end product, with Kaleem and Amita looking
on, and Nanjunda offering you some chutney!

Timing was perfect for the cooking lessons, as we lost our cook (again). We've got a new cook now (more on her later), and in the interim the older kids used what they learned and helped Saroja make a few meals.

School grades and marks cards

2009-05-18T06:00:00.006+05:30

Here's how our kids did in school this past year:

A new little girl and little boy

2009-05-16T07:03:00.004+05:30

Two more little ones joined us this week. Lalita (age 4), and sister to Vinod, Netravati, and Swarana; and little Gowtham (also age 4), brother to little Jeevan.

Lalita, a bit shy during her first days at Karunya Mane

Gowtham, also a bit shy but if anything like his brother Jeevan, he'll soon
be another rambunctious kid at Karunya Mane with endless energy!

Gowtham used to live with his mom in a shack in a slum area of Mysore. Mom collects used paper and cardboard from waste baskets and sells them for income. She also cleans houses when she can find work. Her husband comes and goes and does nothing to support the family.

Gowtham is a bit underdeveloped and malnourished, and we've put him on supplementary protein powder to help with his weight.

Gowtham at his house last year

Two new little girls

2009-05-13T07:00:00.002+05:30

Karunya Mane is up to 39 kids now, with the two latest additions being Vijayalakshmi and Vinuta. The girls come from socially and economically poor background. Dad committed suicide a few years ago, leaving their mom Lakshmi all alone. She cleans houses for a living, lives in a tiny house in a slum area of the city, and struggles to take care of her girls. None of her relatives bother to help with their care.

Vinuta, a mischevious little one!

Vijayalakshmi, very well behaved and extremely smart.

The girls have adjusted well to being at Karunya Mane, and are enjoying the rest of their summer with the other kids.

Street boys and "solution"

2009-05-09T03:30:00.001+05:30

Many of the street boys here sniff "solution" -- you see them holding small pieces of cloth to their nose, and then hide it in their pockets. These pieces of cloth are soaked with something, usually paper correction fluid, available for 25 rupees a bottle.

Salman, the son of one of our street moms, is addicted to "solution." He's so addicted to it that he cries when we take his bottle of paper correction fluid from him, and he often shows up with dried white fluid on his hands and face.

It's a really sad situation, with many young street boys are addicted like this.

May 2009 e-newsletter

2009-05-06T12:59:00.001+05:30

Our May 2009 e-newsletter is out.

Saturday activities

2009-04-22T20:00:00.000+05:30

Kids usually go to school on Saturdays for half a day, and get back home by 1:00 pm. At Karunya Mane, our kids spend their Saturday afternoons catching up on chores and studying.

On this random Saturday in late March, the kids took some time to wash their school shoes and socks.

Divya

Prema, Amita, and Manikanta

Manikanta the ham...

Chanting and singing!

2009-04-19T20:05:00.002+05:30

We encourage volunteers to engage in activities with our kids that are related to their own hobbies or interests. Recently, Regina, a performance artist with several of her own CDs, has started chanting with the kids on Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons during their school break. She plans to produce another CD with a few recordings of our kids! Stay tuned for more...

Surya and Lokesh deep in meditation.

Regina with little Devaraj.

More creative fundraising

2009-04-05T09:45:00.001+05:30

We sure do like when we get emails telling us about the support that people are showing our kids and moms, especially during these difficult times. Messages like this show us that people are doing what they can to continue to help our kids and moms.

Recently, Sylvie wrote that she showed the movie Y Yoga at her yoga studio, and during the evening raised US$120 for Operation Shanti.

During these tough times, people do want to give to good causes, it's just a little harder to do. And these creatively sourced, extremely valued donations go a long way. For example, US$120 will pay for two of our after-school teachers (covering 12 of our kids) for an entire month.

A recent article

2009-04-03T23:54:00.004+05:30

Please see our Web site here for a recent article about one of our board members in India, who talks a bit about Operation Shanti and a few life lessons.

little Sowmya at Karunya Mane

2009-03-20T19:00:00.001+05:30

Little Sowmya, who hangs out on the street while her mom Girija begs, just came to Karunya Mane. Sowmya's older brother Surya is also at KM, and she wanted to join him before school started next year.

Sowmya!

It took her a couple of weeks to get adjusted to being at KM, and hangs close to brother Surya, but she's now integrating well and playing with the other kids her age. She'll start school next June, along with the other kids.

Creative fundraising

2009-03-14T16:00:00.000+05:30

Recently, an Operation Shanti friend told us about her effort to do some fundraising for us in today's tough economic environment. We found her idea creative and personal to her, and wanted to share it with you.

From Jules:

I learned of Operation Shanti when I was in Mysore this past year. And held on to a desire to be connected to the mission.

In NY, I teach several forms or yoga at a beautiful studio called The Yoga Room (www.the-yoga-room.com). Prenatal yoga among them. For some time, I've been trying to encourage my Prenatal Yoga students to develop a simple home practice in the form of a simple sequence called cat/cow, which is very beneficial for most pregnant women. But I had little impact in effecting this.

Then, two weeks ago I conceived of this plan: I committed a dollar to Operation Shanti for each time a pregnant woman in my class practiced cat/cow in between the times I saw them. I told them of the mission of Operation Shanti -- and how far a dollar can go in clothing, feeding and educating a child in India. Well! We have had 42 'instances' of cat/cow home practice in a little over two weeks! When I hit 50 instances ($50 dollars) I'll go contribute thru your website. I expect that will be this weekend.

I'm thrilled with the success of this new program, and plan to seek corporate sponsorship so I might continue it. If any of your staff has connections with anyone at magazines such as Fit Pregnancy or (dreaming big) a contact at Oprah's O magazine or the like, an intro would be stellar and mutually beneficial! I'll be reaching out to a broad network seeking just such introductions as well.

If anyone there would like to discuss this program with me, I would be happy to hear from you.

Thank you for the inspiration and all you are doing.

Peace & joy - Jules

She's starting small, thinking big, and being persistent. And we get "personalized" support like this in both big and small ways. Recently, Kendra and Ryan arrived from San Francisco to volunteer at Karunya Mane. While in San Francisco, they took the initiative to hold a fundraiser and collected art supplies, kids' clothing, and other useful items for our kids at Karunya Mane. Every little bit counts, and our kids and moms really appreciate any effort that you make--especially when it is related to something personal to you.

And by the way, the cat/cow $50 translates into about 2400 rupees, enough to feed our kids three healthy meals for three whole days. Or, it can be used to provide protein powder to an anorexic and destitute street woman for eight months.

Thanks!

New family in our Street People Program

2009-03-09T04:14:00.001+05:30

We've got a new family in our Street People Program, little Zaidu, mom Shahina, and brothers Ruman and Salman.

Shahina and her kids live on the streets of Mysore, and we've known them for about a year and a half. She is the second wife of a man who has another wife and family, so she is not allowed in the house. She earns money by begging and selling vegetables on the roadside, and often battles a few health issues.

after seeing their new house

Recently, we told Shahina that we'd help her find a house to rent, so that she and kids can at least go home to shelter at night. We had originally told her that if she puts her older boy (Ruman) into a shelter---where her fourth child, a girl, stays---we'd help her find a house. Mom clearly wanted him off the street, as he has not had an education and does odd jobs at restaurants in the area for money, but Ruman is already 11 years old and it became clear that he was not willing to leave his life on the street.

Zaidu in the doorway of his new house

This past week, Shahina found a place to rent in the neighborhood where our other street women rent houses. In a week, she and kids will move there. For more on our Street People Program, please see our website here.